Newsletter #3 - Spring 2026
PROTECT-CHILD is a research project funded by the EU Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and Switzerland. The project aims to improve paediatric transplant outcomes through privacy-preserving integration of clinical and genomic data, leveraging federated learning, zero-trust architecture, and EHDS-aligned data infrastructure to improve outcomes for children needing life-saving transplants across Europe.
If you missed our previous newsletters, you can read Newsletter #1 and Newsletter #2 on our website.
Fourth Plenary Meeting — Thessaloniki, Greece
On 12–13 February 2026, the PROTECT-CHILD consortium gathered in Thessaloniki for its fourth project plenary meeting, hosted by CERTH. Over two days, Work Package leads and partner representatives reported on project progress and aligned on the path to the upcoming project review.
The meeting featured a technical session covering the consolidated system architecture, available infrastructure, genomic services, FHIR IG and OMOP mapping, and federated algorithm planning, alongside a clinical session focused on consolidating data collection and reviewing user stories. The plenary was a productive milestone as the project moves from foundational design into integration and validation.
Read the full recap on our website: PROTECT-CHILD Plenary in Thessaloniki
PROTECT-CHILD at the Privacy Symposium 2026
In April 2026, the PROTECT-CHILD team was present at the Privacy Symposium in Venice — one of Europe’s premier forums on data governance, regulatory compliance, and privacy-enhancing technologies. Partners staffed the project booth in the Exhibition Area at the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista throughout the week, connecting with researchers, policymakers, and industry representatives to discuss the project’s work on child data privacy and federated healthcare infrastructure.
This marks the third consecutive year PROTECT-CHILD has been represented at the Privacy Symposium, reflecting the project’s ongoing engagement with the European data protection community.
Follow #ProtectChild on LinkedIn for updates from the event.
ELSI Seminar Series: EU Clinical Trials Regulation
On 26 March 2026, PROTECT-CHILD hosted its latest ELSI seminar, dedicated to the EU Clinical Trials Regulation (CTR). The session was led by Dr. Francesca Gennari, PhD in Law Science and Technology and Research Affiliate at the LIDER Lab, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, and covered the current regulatory framework alongside the practical challenges arising after the end of the transition period.
The seminar continued PROTECT-CHILD’s commitment to building consortium-wide literacy on the legal and ethical dimensions of multi-centre clinical research, with particular attention to paediatric safeguards, informed consent requirements, and the intersection of CTR with GDPR.
For a practical summary of the key takeaways, read our blog post: Navigating the EU Clinical Trials Regulation: A Practical Guide for Researchers
Previous ELSI seminars, including the session on NIS2 and Secure Processing Environments in the EHDS, are available on the project website and the PROTECT-CHILD YouTube channel.
Publications
The PROTECT-CHILD publication pipeline has continued to grow during this reporting period, with several contributions now in print or formally accepted.
“Toward a Common Set of Interface Requirements for Genomic Data Management: Scoping Review” — co-authored by researchers from the University of Twente and Universidad Politécnica de Madrid — has been published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR). The paper presents findings from a systematic review of interface requirements for genomic data management systems, directly feeding into the design principles underpinning the PROTECT-CHILD platform. Read the paper →
Additionally, a contribution on synthetic user requirements by the University of Twente team has been accepted for the HEAL Workshop at ACM CHI 2026 in Barcelona, presenting novel methods for early-stage sense-making in health technology development — an approach developed in the context of PROTECT-CHILD’s co-design activities.
Webinar Series Update
Since our last newsletter, the PROTECT-CHILD webinar series has continued with four new sessions covering key technical and regulatory themes:
- Zero Trust Architecture — presented by Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
- PROTECT-CHILD Data Model — presented by Universidad de Deusto
- Data Discovery Service — presented by Universidad de Deusto
- ELSI Seminar on NIS2 and Secure Processing Environments in the EHDS — presented by Dr. Francesca Tassinari, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU)
Recordings of selected sessions are available on the project website and the PROTECT-CHILD YouTube channel.
